What Is a Qualified Written Request?

A qualified written request is a letter you send to a mortgage servicer if you believe the company made an error. It can also be used to request information or further details regarding your account.

What Is a Qualified Written Request?

A qualified written request, also called a QWR, is an official piece of correspondence sent from a mortgage borrower to their mortgage servicer—the company that accepts and processes monthly mortgage payments.

You can use QWRs to report an error or request information. QWRs are allowed for under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, which protects mortgage applicants and borrowers. There are 10 potential errors you can report using a QWR. These include:

1. Failing to accept a valid payment
2. Failing to apply a payment correctly
3. Failing to credit a payment as of the date of receipt
4. Failing to pay property taxes, insurance, or other escrow costs on your behalf 
5. Imposing an unreasonable fee
6. Failing to provide an accurate payoff amount
7. Failing to provide accurate information about loss mitigation and foreclosure avoidance options
8. Failing to transfer accurate or timely information to a new loan servicer
9. Violating foreclosure processes
10. Ordering foreclosure improperly

You can report other errors, too, as long as they’re related to the servicing of the loan—not the origination, underwriting, or another process out of the servicer’s control.

How Does a Qualified Written Request Work?

To send a QWR, you need to find the appropriate address for your mortgage servicer. Under the law, servicers are allowed to establish specific addresses for receipt of these requests, so it may not be the same place you send your payment.

You’ll also need to include the following information:

• Your name
• A loan identifier (the loan number, for example)
• Details regarding the information you’re requesting

Once the servicer receives your QWR, they’re required to provide written acknowledgement of receipt within five days (excluding holidays and weekends). Depending on the information you request, the servicer must also issue a response to the QWR anywhere from 10 to 30 days from receipt.

Example of a Qualified Written Request

There’s no set template for a QWR, so yours will depend on the situation and the type of error or information you request. 

For example, if you believe the servicer incorrectly applied your payment and now it’s charging you late fees or initiating a foreclosure, your QWR may look something like this:

Attn: Mortgage Servicer
123 First St.
City, State Zip Code

To Whom It May Concern:

I am requesting information regarding loan 1234567, pursuant to the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act, Section 2605(e). I believe recent payments to this account have not been applied properly or in a timely fashion and that subsequent late fees and foreclosure notices have been sent in error.

As such, I am seeking the following information:

1. Payment history, including all dates, amounts, and payments made on the loan to date.
2. A line-by-line breakdown of all supposed late fees and penalties.
3. Verification or explanation of any purported overdue or delinquent amounts.

Please acknowledge receipt of this request. I look forward to your response within 30 days.

Sincerely,

Full Name
Address
Loan Number

How to File a Qualified Written Request

Any mortgage borrower is free to write and submit a qualified written request on their own, and there is no fee required to do so. You’ll simply need to write the letter, detail the information and error your request addresses, and include identifying information like your name, address, and loan number. 

Before you send your QWR, make sure you look up the correct address for your servicer, as there may be a specific one that all QWRs must be sent to.